Performance

The term performance refers to representational forms of art based in Action art. In contrast with performance practise in theatres, performance leaves behind traces, and its references are largely anchored in real life. In this sense, performance transfers aspects of life into art, where it makes them visible. The tool used for this transferral is the artist’s body. A performance takes place without audience participation, if one is present at all, with the audience as observer. The historical origins of performance lie in the performative aspects of Dadaism, Futurism, Bauhaus and Surrealism, and in the USA, modern dance and dance theatre, with figures such as choreographer Merce Cunningham having a decided influence on the genre.
The notion of making the body a medium of artistic expression was also part of Fluxus events and Happenings. One particular form of performance was body art: artists used their bodies as material, which they worked on in the context of Actions. Key performance artists include Joseph Beuys, Gilbert & George, Meredith Monk, Ulrike Rosenbach and Carolee Schneemann.